Straight-edge.



MAURICE RANDOLPH LEAMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

STRAIGHT-EDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

raient-ea nee. e. i ois.

Application led February 9, 1911. Serial No. 607,641.

To aZZ whom it may concern: y

Be it knoivn that I, MAURICE R. LEAMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented-certain f new and useful Improvements in Straight-Edges; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact dcscription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in straight-edgesland more particularly related to devices of this character designed for use by paper-hangers. Y

In the use of straight-edges by paperhangers difficulty. is experienced in maintaining the implements in alined position upon the paper; slipping of the iinplenientfrequently occurs, and this results in imperfect trimming. Moreover, the straight-edges commonly employed are unprotected, by reason of which they become more or less impaired by handling, the edges becoming ronghcned, and thereby causing a roughened line of cut.

- The present invention, therefore, aims to provide a straight-edgethe construction of which is such as to prevent slipping when the same is placed in position for trimming the paper', thus safe-guarding the paper against irregular cut, and also reducing the degree of pressure necessary for holding the straight-edge in position.

Furthermore, the invention aims to provide a straight-ed eliaving means for pi'otecting the guide e ge thereof, thereby maintaining the latter against becoming roughened and insuring aregular line of cut.

Having these general objects in View, and others which Will-'appear as the nature of the improvements'is better understood, the invention consists substantially in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings-Figure l Aisa perspective View -of a straight-edge constructed in accordance with and embodying the hereindescribed invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the

numeral l designates the body of the hereiii-described straight-edge. This is preferably formed of wood, and may be of any desired Width and length. At the edge of the body l which constitutes the guide forthe knife, said edge is provided with a metallic facing 2, preferably ay brass strip, the latter being secured to the body l through the ine-l diuni of screws 3, oi' other suitable fastening devices. This facing covers the entire edge ot' the body l, and extends throughout the length of the latter, and mounted in proximity to the facing 2, and over-lying the edge of the facing, is a metallic contact strip .Je secured t0 the face of the body l which is designed to lie against the paper during the trimming operation. The strip 4 is held in position upon the body 1 by screws 5, or other suitable fastening devices, and it will be observed that the body l is rabbeted or cut away for the reception of said strip 4. This construction provides a shoulder t3 against which the inner edge of the strip 4 abuts, the outer edge of said strip lying flush with th'e outer face of the strip 2, and being 'alined therewith. By reason of the shoulder 6 the strip 4 is maintained in rigid position, and always remains alined with the strip 2, and the face of the latter and the outer edge of the strip i constitute, substantially a continuous surface along `which the knife may be drawn in the trimming operation.

It is to be observed that the face of the body l which lies against the paper inclines from its edges toward its center. Therefore, the Contact strip-4 lies in an inclined position, and While the outer edge of the strip et will contact with the paper, the inner edge ofvsaid strip will be out of contact therewith. This is also true of the other edge of the body l, so that in lieu of the entire Width of the body resting upon the paper, act-ual contact only occurs at the edges of the device.

Extending from the shoulder (i to the edge of the body l which is Aopposite to that at which the strips 2 and 'etare loca al, is a facing of felt 7', or other suitable material.

This facing acts as a resistant to lateral slipping of the straight-edge, the character of the material causing the straight-edge to adhere tothe paper.- Hence. the pressure necessary to preventtlie straight-edge slipping is materially reduced.

In the use of the herein-described straightedge the same is placed upon the paper to be trimmed with the concaved face immediately next to the paper. The .felt 7 and the contact strip 4 rest on the paper, and when the line of cut has been determined the knife is drawn along the facing strip 2 and 'the outer edge of the contact strip 4, which strips being of metal insure a regular cut. The lateral pressure incident to the movement of the knife is resisted by the adherence of the felt facing 7 with the paper, so that slipping of the straight-edge is prevented anda regular cut insured.

By making the face of the body 1 concave the edges only of the straight-edge are brought into contact with the paper, and by providing the metallic strips :2 and 4, and arranging them in juxtaposition, the guideedge is efficiently protected against becoming roughened, so that an eten line of cut is produced.

The contact strip 4 preferably of steel,

and this, therefore, provides not only an eX- ceedingly hard surface for resisting the great amount of wear incident to the movement of the straight-edge along the guideedge thereof, butsaid contact strip also serves to protect the face of the wooden body 2 at said guide edge, as indicated. By positioning the contact strip 4 at the edge of the contact face of the body edge which is adjacent to the strip 2, said body is weighted at this edge, so that it renders the device as an entirety more binding at the cutting edge, and very little pressure is therefore necessary to hold the straight-edge in position upon the paper which is being cut.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising a body, a metallic facing for the guide edge thereof, and a metallic protective contact strip covering the contact f ace of the body at its guide edge, said contact strip being in registry with said metallic facing and serving to weight the body at the guide edge to reduce thereby the pressure necessary for holding the device in operative position.

2. A prising a body, a metallic facing for the guide edge thereof, and a metallic protect-ive contact strip covering the contact face of the body at its guide edge, said contact strip being in registry with said metallic facing and serving to weight the body at the guide edge to reduce thereby the pressure necessary for holding the device in operative posi tion, said body having a shoulder against which the inner edge of said contact strip abuts, whereby the latter is held in alinement with said metallic facing.

In 'testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE. RANDOLPH LEAMAN.

Witnesses:

Orto PREGLER, LOUIS BARSLER.

device of the class described, com- 

